Dusk Til Dawn
by kittymrowr
Summary: Isabella Swan has everything she could possibly want. A perfect man, a loving family, a chance for eternity. But Bella has never been one to have things go her way. The question is what exactly will shatter her otherwise perfect life?
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

I thought I had known all the pain in the world. I thought that nothing could possibly hurt me more than I had already been hurt and that even death itself could no longer scare me. Yet here I lay on the cool concrete of the basement in house on the hill, deaf to my own screams as I writhed in torturous pain. Between the blinding bouts of pain I could see him on the opposite side of the room, his pupils swollen black as bottomless pits. How his face could have been ashen, I was not sure, but it was.

My body was being ripped to shreds and I knew I would surely die. Death was not the reason for my screams now, though. No, Death was a welcome alternative to my current state of being. I was not even sure how long I had been like this. It could have been days or mere minutes. Time seemed irrelevant and warped as I lay here dying.

He sat as still as a beautiful statue, unmoving, unbreathing. As much as I screamed for his help, he did not move. He did not even look at me. Had I disgusted him so much that not even a hint of his former love for me could compel him to just kill me instead of allowing _this_?

I could almost feel the silence that lingered upstairs. No one was there who would hear my screams and save me. And even if my screams could possibly find their way out of the basement and into the main floor of the house or outside, still no one would hear me. That must have been why he chose this house of all houses.

My thoughts flitted briefly to Alice. Had she seen this coming? Had she known and still had not warned me of my demise? Even if he had forgotten what he had claimed to feel for me, had she, too, forgotten our bond of friendship?

And then there was Renee and Charlie. It hurt worse than the physical pain to know that I would not survive to protect them, to make certain that this did not happen to them next. I never should have said goodbye to them. I had no way of knowing that, for me, it truly would be goodbye.

The pain heightened then and I screamed louder than I had before, the sound finally breaking through to my formerly deaf ears. I was being overcome by what was being done to my body and I could no longer fight it. I was never very strong, as much as I had tried to prove otherwise. I could only fight for so long. And now my body, my mind, my very soul was giving up; giving in.

I forced open my eyes and searched through the blinding pain to find his. In my moment before death, I wanted, no, _needed_, to see him. I needed to try one last time to plead for my life. I needed him to save me. He had saved me so many times before, I was disgusted by myself for wanting more. Even if he could not extend my life, he could surely end it more quickly. He _had_ to have at least a small amount of compassion for me, enough to make this pain stop for good.

As my eyes finally focused upon him, his eyes finally found mine. His expression was unreadable as it had always been. I detected anger, disgust, and hatred in his face. But I also somehow saw sadness, grief and—love.

I had no time to decipher the meaning as my back arched in pain and I fell limp back to the floor. The smell of my own blood infiltrated my nostrils as I forced myself to breath in and out. And then it stopped. As I closed my eyes one last time, I knew it was finally over. Death was glorious.


	2. Chapter One: Surprises

Chapter One: Surprises

_Chapter One:__Surprises_

I stared unwaveringly at Edward. There were very few things in life, or death, that I never wanted to do. Obviously, the forerunner of such a list was living without the perfect specimen of the male species stood demandingly beside me, a stern look resounding in his topaz eyes. Somewhere else on that list, as I had not quite yet determined where it ranked amongst the others, was telling Charlie that I was eighteen years old and getting married. I would rather tell Renee and even _that_ was pushing it. I had a strong feeling that getting hit by an out-of-control van in the parking lot of Forks High School would be considerably less painful and awkward.

I continued looking at my fiance—I still visibly cringed at even the thought of such a word—with a pleading look in my eyes. Here we were, mere feet from the kitchen where a poor, unsuspecting Charlie was sitting at the table, reading the morning newspaper. It was Saturday and I secretly wished he had decided to go fishing as usual. Of course, my luck had never worked out that way, now had it? Edward was intent on telling Charlie today, considering we were exactly one month away from the wedding date. It was not that I did not want to exactly _tell_ Charlie, but more so the fact that I already knew Charlie's reaction. I would be lucky to be allowed out of the house by the time August 13th came to pass. Mine and Edward's silent conversation seemed to be at a standstill, a stalemate. I had to find _some_ kind of move to push the odds to my advantage. Edward was the first to speak, his brow furrowed. I wished he had not done that. He was far too difficult to deny when he looked like that. My heart skipped a beat as soon as his smooth, lyrical voice hit my ears.

"Bella, you should just get it over with. Charlie is in a surprisingly good mood despite the fact that I am here so early. Take advantage of it. Of course, I will be there the whole time to keep things running smoothly."

I frowned. This was one of those times that I wished he could not read other people's minds. Now I could not use the excuse that this was bad timing. Of course, in _my _mind, any time was bad timing with my parents. I let out a huff as I looked down and placed a hand to my head. My other hand was resting strategically on my hip. I was trying to give off the look that I meant serious business. As was expected, Edward just laughed at me. I had learned in the time I'd been with him to just pout and get it over with. I grimaced and looked grudgingly toward the kitchen where Charlie was turning a page in his newspaper. A sudden idea struck me and I looked up at Edward hopefully.

"Hey, why don't I go tell Angela and Jessica first? They'll be bummed out if I don't tell them first."

I raised my eyebrow, hoping, for once, that my argument would win. Edward raised his own brow in reciprocation and shook his head, a bemused expression finding its way onto his flawless face.

"You don't even like Jessica, Bella."

I thought about that one for a moment. He had me there. I pursed my lips.

"Right, well. How about we don't tell anyone, then?"

It was a long shot, but I was grabbing at straws by now. I let out a frustrated sigh as I knew I had obviously lost. I wrinkled my nose and almost decided to stomp into the kitchen childishly but thought better of the idea at the last minute. Acting as if I were once again four years old would not help my case. I could feel Edward's presence behind me as I approached the kitchen table, my hands soon resting on the cool back of the chair across from Charlie. I stood silent for a moment, Charlie not noticing me, before clearing my throat after a small nudge from Edward. Charlie looked up, glancing suspiciously between the two of us. Of course, had I been sitting in his spot, the situation would have looked ominous to me, as well.

"Everything okay, Bells?"

Charlie's eyes visibly narrowed. Despite how adamently Edward showed his love for me and his remorse for the better left unmentioned events of the past, Charlie still had a hard time accepting him back into our lives. He was far less abrasive with Edward, something I gave him extra credit for on a daily basis. It was all I could ask for my father to be civil to my _fiance_. Obviously, he did not yet _know_ that Edward was my fiance. Edward would make sure that fact changed in the next few moments. I took a deep breath and looked to Edward for reassurance before looking back at my father. My strong and confident voice betrayed the trembling I felt inside.

"Well, Ch—Dad, as you know—"

The phone rang. I remembered as a child, watching the show _Saved by the Bell_. I'd have to send a letter to the writer of that show to thank them for coining the phrase. As Charlie furrowed his brow and stood from his seat to answer the phone, I felt a momentary wave of relief. I could feel Edward staring down at me. He would make sure I was not of the hook, but I avoided looking at him just yet, decided even seconds of reveling in the distraction was worthwhile. After a moment of Charlie speaking quietly into the phone, he placed the phone back on the hook and looked back at me.

"Sorry, Bells. I got called in. Will you be okay for the day?"

I nodded, speechless. Was that luck I sensed? Had the planets decided to align in my favor for the first time in my life?

"Sure, Dad. You go on, I'll see you tonight."

Charlie hesitated, looking as though he wanted to say something, but thought better of it and headed for the door where he grabbed his jacket. As he opened the door, I heard Edward's voice ring out.

"When you return, Charlie, there was something Bella and I would like to discuss with you."

I heard Charlie grumble something beneath his breath and then shut the door behind him. I glared at Edward. I should have known I was not in the clear. It was inevitable that Edward would find a way for me to tell Charlie today. Even if Forks suddenly was attacked by rogue vampires, which, oddly enough, was not highly improbable, Edward would somehow defeat the problem and still find time for the two of us to tell Charlie before sundown. At least, for now, I had a few hours before I was locked up in my bedroom for the rest of my natural life by my father. I smiled smugly at Edward and turned toward the stairs to head to my bedroom.

"Well, then. It looks like we will just have to wait for Charlie to come home for dinner. Until then—"

I was cut off from finishing my sentence as Edward appeared swiftly in front of me. I was not sure I would ever get used to that speed of his; not even when I, myself, would possess the same. He held the cordless phone in front of me, a triumphant grin on his lips.

"Fine, call Renee. I'll let you speak to her alone. When you are finished, I'll be waiting for you in your room."

He smiled his irresistable smile and darted up the stairs. Taking the phone into my hands, I grumbled inaudibly. There was no winning with him. Defeated, I dialed my mother's number and crossed my fingers that she would not pick up. After three rings, Renee's winded voice answered my call. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Curse those planets for unaligning.

"Hey, Mom! So, guess what? Well, I'm getting married…"


End file.
